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Thursday, October 27, 2016

It's a BOOtifully dark and dreary day to write a Halloween story. Get on over to Susanna Hill's internet house to post yours or get spooked out reading the other entries! This is the sixth year for the contest and my fifth year entering...I'm feeling a bit nostalgic!

From Susanna:

The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words, children here defined as 12 and under), using the words spider, ghost, and moon. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge! We got nearly 150 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form – e.g. moon, moons, mooned, spidery, ghostly, whathaveyouNo illustration notes please!

Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and Monday October 31st by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list on her site.

Friday, June 3, 2016

I love this conference! It is like a party with all your
best friends who share a love of writing. There are friendly agents to crush on
and editors to share dinner with. There’s an ever-flowing fountain of coffee
and just a bit of wine. And there’s the opportunity to network with total
strangers.

No matter how much I practice my pitch for the agent pitch,
someone in the bagel line will ask,

“What are you working on?”

This question always knocks me on my heels. I feel like the
only thing I am working on is remembering to breathe.

Uhh...I’m installing a
butterfly garden in at my daughter’s school. I’ve been studying tree
identification for a sign installation at the park. I painted a gigantic map of
the US on the playground which was significantly harder than I imagined. I have
a big Girl Scout beach party Monday. (Shoot, I forgot to buy cups!) I work on laundry
a lot.

These are the things that pop in my head. Keeping them from
popping out of my mouth is very challenging.

First, I have to breathe. Then, I
have to remember they really mean, “Tell me about your current writing project.
Give me a sense of your voice. How do you stand out in your genre?”

If you are
struggling with your pitches and answering this horrendously challenging question, I have a
few recommendations.

1.Take
a shower. One pitch came to me there, and I was forced to write it in steam on
the shower door.

2.Relax.
A second pitch was worked out during a pedicure yesterday.

3.Exercise.
A third pitch was worked out during yoga – I got the word order I needed,
though the process did make my Awkward Chair Pose even more awkward.

And all
those other things I’m working on? Well, I’ve been thinking about a blog page
about “Creativity when I’m not Writing.” There are so many interesting things I’ve
been up to this year, which weren't writing but were creating. I think all creation breathes life into your writing!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

If you are a SCBWI member, you can participate in the new Write This! monthly prompt. Here's the details:

Write This! April Contest: This month, you have 100 words to portray a scene where your character hears a suspicious noise coming from the closet. Create a mood. Surprise us!

Deadline: April 20th

Guidelines:

You must be a current SCBWI member to submit to Write This!

Entries must be inspired by the prompt in some way.

Please no italics or bold fonts. 12 point text size.

E-mail subject line must be titled as follows: Write This_First name_Last name.

Each member may only submit one entry per prompt word.

E-mail your entry IN THE BODY OF THE E-MAIL, please no attachments to: scbwiwritethis@scbwi.org

TIP: Tweet, Facebook and Instagram your submissions! #scbwiwritethis

(this is not how you submit your writing, it's just an extra way to promote your work)

My entry for April is a poem I've been working on for awhile, tightened up to the 100 word limit. This story is inspired by some freaky ghost hunting I did in my own house when I was little. I would use Dad's stress test scrap paper to graph the sounds I heard coming from our attic stairs closet.

Friday, February 12, 2016

The Contest: Write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone is grumpy! Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone grumpy (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words max (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day) You can go under the word count but not over! Title is not included in the word count. No illustration notes please!

Friday, December 11, 2015

I have pine sap on my fingers, flour on my shirt, and strings of popcorn everywhere...it must be time for Susanna Leonard Hill's Annual Holiday Contest!

The Contest: Write a children's story beginning with any version of "Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop." Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words No illustration notes please. Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Friday December 11 at 11:59 PM EST.

I must have been feeling stressed about entertaining when this idea developed, but I *think* my parties have a better track record than poor Squirrel's. (Though I did make a dreadful crunchy hummus once.)

Happy Holidays everyone and may all your entertaining go well! See all the other rocking entries at Susanna's site.

The rules: 100 words, which must include creak, pumpkin and broomstick. (NO NO NO - seriously, I'm glad I realized I was using last year's words before midnight, but there's nothing as fun as changing rhymes! ACK!) dark, costume and haunt.

It went a little wicked, and then it tended toward gross with my word changes... But it is Halloween after all. Why resist a good scare or giggle?

The Bully Spell

@alekksall via freepik

By Lauri Meyers

Great Great Grandma Thistle

Would cast a wicked curse

To cover children’s bums

With boils, cysts, or worse.

Great Grandma Narcissus

Enriched with darker rhymes

To pluck the eyes from kids

For cauldron stealing crimes.

Grandma Oleander

Enhanced the evil spell

With rotten skunk patoot

To make the youngsters smell.

My Mama Mistletoe

With costume,
wand, and hat

Declared, “Annoying boys

Shall eat my spider’s scat!”

I threw in haunted
bones

And jangly teeth for spite.

So, say you’re sorry now

For teasing me tonight.

That's right all you Halloween bullies out there better behave, because this spell keeps getting better and better with each generation:) Happy Halloween!

Lauri Meyers is a children's writer living part-time in New
Jersey and part-time in the fantasy worlds she builds in her head. She is a member of the SCBWI. She
enjoys laughing until her sides hurt and making other people laugh until
organic milk squirts out of everyone's noses. She left corporate finance due to the infrequency of milk fountains.